Instead of buying each other a lot of chocolate or corny Valentine’s Day things, we decided to use our money to go on a little getaway. In the past we’ve gotten tattooed for the Hallmark holiday but Dustin couldn’t think of what he wanted and we needed to check out of the house (and country) for a bit. The change of scenery always refreshes and energizes me. There’s nothing like a clean hotel room and a jacuzzi tub that makes me sing out in joy! I found some amazing Groupon deals and added them to a Living Social deal to make our three night vacation fall under $371 (in American currency). I get asked all the time how much our travels cost and people shake their heads when I tell them how cheap we see the world. I wanted to break down this specific trip to show a getaway doesn’t have to always cost an arm and a leg!

What I Bought To Make This Getaway Happen

To begin, I always keep an eye out on Groupon Getaways and Living Social Escapes. I also look at some other sites with deals. These sites have group deals that are easy to use and can save you hundreds and thousand of dollars. It’s important to read all of the thin print before buying…

I found a ton of Niagara Falls deals. I’m not sure why it was specifically on sale because it was March Break and packed but there were a lot of hotels on sale for this week. I worked out planning on dates and purchased three separate deals. The first one was a Living Social Deal which you had to reserve a specific date. We bought it and then booked the other two nights afterward to make sure we could stay consecutively with our deals.

Pool At Four Points By Sheraton Photo Credit Teambuy.ca

Four Points By Sheraton Deal by Living Social

The first Living Social Deal was $125 with tax. It included the following: a one night stay at Four Points by Sheraton for two in a King room, 4 tickets to Greg Frewin’s Las Vegas Magic Show, $20 Credit at East Side Marios, 2 WEGO Shuttle Passes, 2 $50 Cards for Captain Jack’s Pirates Cove, 2 alcohol drinks at Ruth Chris’, $70 to Ruth Chris’, $20 Credit to Outback Steakhouse, and $10 to IHOP. This hotel also had free wifi throughout the hotel so Dustin could work in the room.

The deal was unbelievable. There were some stipulations that made more sense when we got there (why it was so good) but it still saved us a lot of money. I’ll break down what it would’ve costed otherwise below. Note I only calculate the things we used.

1 Night Stay at the Sheraton: $118 originally for a whirlpool room which we were upgraded to.

4 Tickets to Greg Frewin’s Show: We only used 2 which would have been $99.17 with tax

$20 Credit at East Side Marios: We used this to get a large pizza for only $3 with tax. Worth $20

We ended up not using all of the perks. The vouchers had a catch that you had to buy two entrees. That was kinda crazy because our meal at Outback was close to $70!!! Things were very pricey so we didn’t go to Ruth Chris’ even though we had a $70 off coupon. We still got our money worth though getting $379.17 worth of things for only $125! The $125 is also Canadian so there may be some small adjustments to the price.

Wyndham Garden Lobby Photo Credit Groupon

Wyndham Garden Niagara Falls Groupon Deal

The second we bought was from Groupon. It was $71.92 and included a one night stay for two in a Deluxe King City View Room, 2 drinks at MJ’s Lounge, Wine Tastings, $20 Credit to Outback Steakhouse, and a Chocolate FX Tour with samples. They also gave us 25% off Perkins inside the hotel which we didn’t use. We loved the new lobby and in my next post I’ll show pictures. Wifi was free throughout the hotel and was fast! The wine tickets included over $40 worth of tastings. We ended up not using all of the vouchers but still got our money worth! Here’s the breakdown of what it would’ve cost:

1 Night Stay at the Wyndham Garden: $89

2 Drinks at MJ’s: $10 This was great because Dustin got a beer and the bartender made me a non-alcoholic huge milkshake!

Wine Tastings: I actually forgot our vouchers in the room but we did enjoy a free tasting worth $14 at a local winery

Chocolate Factory Tour with Samples: $14 Came with 2 chocolates for us

Total Price: $113

We gave our $20 to Outback away because we didn’t want to eat there for $70+ We also didn’t get to use the ice wine tastings but did do a free one that was worth $14 (not included in the $113)

The Keg at Embassy Suites Photo Credit by Niagarafallsrestaurants.com

Embassy Suites By Hilton Groupon Deal

This stay was by far our favorite! The deal was great and included a lot. We spent $174.04 on this room. It included a King bed Falls View room with a Jacuzzi tub for two. It had two huge rooms but we only used one. The view was really worth it as you could see the entire falls from the 27th floor. With the Groupon came: $30 toward The Keg, Admission for four to Cannon Blasters and Time Crunch at an arcade, 4 IMAX movie tickets, 2, $50 game play cards, managers reception with 2 alcoholic drinks and snacks, full made-to-order breakfast.

We used everything but the 2 extra IMAX tickets and Cannon Blasters and Time Crunch which we ran out of time for (pun intended). Here’s the price breakdown:

1 Whirlpool Suite Room with Fallsview: $175

$30 towards The Keg: We ate here and it was amazing and delicious. It was about $70 without taking the discount off. With tip it was $60 for two entrees and an appetizer

2, $50 arcade cards: $100

4 IMAX Tickets: $72 This was great because we were able to give two away to a couple with kids. I’ll only put 1/2 though since we used half. This also included 1/2 off the Daredevils Exhibit so it saved us $8

Breakfast: $25 it was lunch for us

Managers Reception: $15 2 great drinks and snacks

Total: $389

So in conclusion, we paid a total of $370.96 for the basics of the vacation but got $881.17 worth of things! That’s a huge saving!